photoshop-colourful 3d text

Colorful 3D text

In this tutorial you will learn how to create this colorful 3D text effect:

Step 1

Create a blank document, size depends on the size of your text.

Type your text with every new letter on a new layer.

This is what your layer paletter should look like:

Step 2

Give your text some color and align it to your liking.

The colors that are used here are:

#bd64fa

#a8ed76

and

#fc9713

Step 3

Hit CTRL+T at every layer and rotate the letters a bit so it looks something like this:

Step 4

Right click your first text layer and choose Rasterize.

Select your 2d text layer and hit CTRL-E to merge it into the first layer.

Repeat until you only have one text layer (+background) left.

Now add a gradient for the background.

Step 5

With your text layer selected hold down ALT and press down and then left about 4 or 5 times.

It'll look like this now:

Step 6

This is your layers palette right now:

Again, merge down until you are left with only two text layers:

Move your original text layer to the top:

Step 7

Select your copy text layer, hit CTRL-U and set it to something like this:

Merge the two text layers.

Apply this Drop Shadow to your text layer:

That's it, there's your colorful 3D text:

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photoshop-glass text effect

1
a) Create an image, 800x800 pixels. For reference purposes, save this image (Ctrl+S) as glass.psd.

b) Use the type tool, or create an original form, filling most of the image, preferably using a typeface with thick smooth edges.

This example is using Goudy Old Style, Extra Bold. For reference, let this layer be known as the 'Type' layer.

c) Now holding down Ctrl, click on the Type layer in the Layer Window to select the it's transparency.

2
a) In the Channels Window, press the 'Save selection as channel' button to create a channel of the selection.



b) Now, click on the new channel this created, and with the selection still in tact, Gaussian Blur it accordingly.

Might I suggest, a series of blurs in succession, so that the edges falloff very smoothly.

Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur... 9 pixels
Then blur 6 pixels.
Then blur 6 pixels.
Then again, 3 pixels.
Then again, 3 pixels.
Then finally, only 1 pixel.

The height map you create here is key to the goodness of the final effect.

Tip:	If you have My Actions loaded, this blurring process can be done quickly and easily by pressing: F8 (blur 9px), F7 (blur 6px), F6 (blur 3px), F5 (blur 1px)

c) Once you deem your blurration fit for submission, press Ctrl+A to select the entire channel, then copy it to the clipboard Ctrl+C.

d) Create a new image (Ctrl+N), of the same size (800x800), and paste (Ctrl+V) the blurred channel into it. Now, save this image as a glass_bump.psd into the same folder you are working from. You may now close it if you wish.

3
a) Download this photo by right clicking on the link then selecting 'Save target as...'. Open the image in photoshop.



Note: This can also be done by clicking on the link, so that the full image loads in your web browser, then drag the photo off the browser into Photoshop.

b)Once the image is in Photoshop, Select All (Ctrl+A), copy it to the clipboard (Ctrl+C), then go to the original image glass.psd and paste it (Ctrl+V) onto a new layer.

This will be the image which the glass refracts. Let it be known as the 'Photo' layer.

Tip:

If you use your own photo instead of this one, such as pictures of water which look cool and refreshing, make sure that it is exactly the same size as the glass.psd, or else make sure that the edges of the Photo layer go beyond he edges of the image. Also, make sure you select the whole image (not layer) (Ctrl+A) before running the Glass filter, or else there will problems with the placement of the glass refraction. You will see.

4
a) With the Photo layer selected, select all (Ctrl+A), then go in the menu:

Filter > Distort > Glass...

b) From the texture dropdown, choose Load Texture...

Then select the bump map you saved earlier, glass_bump.psd, and press OK.

These sliders are self-explanatory, though for this demonstration I will use:

Distortion: 20
Smoothness: 8

The Invert option may also produce a desired effect.

When you're done here, press OK to apply the filter.

Note: Rendering the glass filter a second or third time on the same layer (Ctrl+F) may also produce desirable effects.

The following steps are entirely optional, and should be experimented with.

5
To fit the glass refraction inside the original form, hold down Alt, then move your mouse between the Type layer and the Photo layer, until a little icon with two intersecting circles replaces the cursor, then click.

This will use the Type layer transparency as a mask for the refracted Photo layer.

To disable this, click between the layers again holding down Alt.

6
a) Holding down Ctrl click the Type layer to select it's transparency. Click on the Photo layer, then create a new layer above it.

Fill the new layer with a dark color, such as black, by pressing X (to select Black as foreground color), and then Alt+Backspace (to fill). Then deselect (Ctrl+D).

Rename this layer 'Highlight', or something to this extent.

Set the blending mode for this layer to Overlay.


b) With the Highlight layer still selected, go in the menu:

Filter > Render > Lighting Effects...

Set your texture channel to the bump map created earlier (possibly Alpha 1), then setup some nice lights, according to the Lighting Effects tutorial.

Channel height set to 100 'Mountainous', may or may not look hoopy.

When this is done, perhaps even change the blending mode to Color Dodge, or Screen... whatever appears the most groovy to your pulsating eyeballs.

In addition to the Photo layer, try refracting a layer of black and white scan lines to produce highly detailed moire patterns. This tutorial can also be used to create chrome looking items. Throw down drop shadows, stone textures, disgruntled dots, and hopefully better effects you've come up with by now.

Massage the pixels thoroughly, until they stimulate your eyeballs in return, and be sure to experiment until the persistantly unfolding depths of your mind push you to the brink of madness.

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photoshop-water text effect

In this Photoshop tutorial I am going to teach you how to create liquid text. Liquid text created in Photoshop looks super cool and it is surprisingly easy to do. So why don’t we get started?

First of all we need to find an image that we are going to put our liquid text on. You want something with some pattern on it so that the liquid that you create can distort it. I used the wood grain image on the right (click for a much bigger version).

Once you have your background image loaded up switch over to your channels palette and create a new channel. In this newly created channel you need to create your text. I used a font called Tree Frog, try and find something that is kind of liquidy looking. In this channel I also added a few water droplets to spice things up a bit. This is what my finished channel looks like.

Now we need to create the displacement map that we are going to use when we run the glass filter in a few steps. Duplicated the channel that you created in the last step. Once you have the channel duplicated we need to blur it a bit. Go to Filters/Blur/Gaussian Blur, I used a value of 7 for the blur. The resulting channel should look like this.

The glass filter, which we are about to use, requires a separate image to be used we need to duplicate this channel and save it as a standalone image. To do this click the little arrow on top of the channels window and from the menu that drops down choose “Duplicate Channel”. After you click duplicate channel another window will popup. From this window that pops up from the drop down menu choose new and press ok. The image you created in the channel will now popup in it’s own window. Save the image that pops up as a PSD file, it doesn’t matter where but remember what you called it so that you can find it later. I named mine displacementmap.psd.

Now go back to your layers palette and duplicated you background image. In your layers palette you should now have a layer called background and one called background copy. Now lets break out the glass filter. The glass filter can be found by going to Filter/Distort/Glass. When you choose glass a new screen will popup, on this screen you need to load your displacementmap.psd as the texture. Press the little arrow next to the drop down menu and choose load and browse to wherever it was that you saved your image in the previous step. Fiddle with the Distortion and smoothness levels to taste. I used a Distortion level of 10 and a Smoothness level of 4, keep scaling at 100%. Your image should now look like this (click for bigger). Rename this layer, which is currently called “background copy” to “Glassy”.

Now we need the original, unblurred copy of our text in the layers palette. To do this go back to your channels palette and ctrl-click the unblurred image which has your text and water drops on it to choose its selection. Go back to your layers palette, create a new layer between the background layer and the Glassy layer, and with the selection still active fill the selection with black. Your layers palette should now look like the image to the right.

We need to join the text layer with the glass layer. To do this right click the Glassy layer and choose “Create Clipping Mask”. Your layers palette should now look like this.

Now lets have some fun and really make this pop. We are going to be doing a few different layer styles. Select the layer that has your text on it (the middle layer) and open up your layer styles window, lets start with bevel and emboss (Layer/Layer Style/Bevel and Emboss).
For bevel and emboss I used the following settings:

Now lets add a drop shadow. I used the following settings, for color click around your background image until you find a color that you like.

Next, lets add a bit of an outer glow to really make things stand out. Once again, here are the settings that I used.

And finally lets add a bit of an inner glow.

With all of the above layer styles feel free to experiment and try different things, there is no set way to do this, just play with the settings until you achieve a look that you like.

Here is the final result. Make sure you click the image on the right to see the full size version. Pretty nice huh?

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photoshop-liquid text effect

Tutorials on creating metal type abound online, as do variations on simple liquid effects. Most are fairly short, offering a good foundation for the reader on how certain effects are achieved but fail to take that extra step (or few steps) to make the piece really shine. Once you have an idea of how different techniques fit together in a piece, it is fairly easy to combine, say, the process to create metal and the process to create liquid to create something that exists in both sides of the FX map.

1

Create a new image with the following attributes:

• Width: 11 inches
• Height: 11 inches
• Resolution: 300 ppi, 8 or 16 bit
• Background Color: White

2

Since the desired effect is to appear liquefied, a font that appears to have been made with a crayon or round brush will work perfectly. Select the Type tool and open the Character palette from the Options bar. The font I’ve chosen is called ‘WallowHmkBold’… if you do not have this installed on your system just use the font of your choice. The attributes for the characters are seen below:

3

Note that the color is gray in the #666666 range and NOT stark black.

Type a word across the face of the image.

4

Rasterize the type layer, then paint a few additional gray dots around the type.

5

Open the Channels palette and duplicate a channel… the Blue channel will work fine. Go to Image>Adjustments>Invert.

6

Open the Filter menu and select Blur>Gaussian Blur. First, blur the channel at a 25 pixel radius. Blur the channel again at a radius of 15 pixels.

7

Turn off the Blue copy channel, but don’t delete it… you’ll need it in a moment or two.

8

Go to Filter>Render>Lighting Effects. Set it up as outlined in the image below… be sure to select the Blue copy channel as the Texture Channel.

9

The result of all that is a pretty basic bevel, and yes, you could do pretty much the same thing with a layer style. Some habits die hard, however, and I like the end result better when channels come into play. What can I say? I’ve been doing it this way since at least PS 6, and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

10

Duplicate the text layer and go to Filter>Sketch>Chrome. Set up the reflections as seen in the dialog box below:

11

Now you can play with Layer Styles a bit. Open the Layer Styles dialog box and select Bevel/Emboss. Enter the following settings… note that the Shadow color is again gray in the #666666 range and not black. Once done click OK.

12

Let’s shine this up a bit. Command/Control+Click the text layer to generate a selection, then make a Curves adjustment layer and Levels adjustment layer with the settings seen here:

13

Against a black background the shine really comes out.

14

Turn off the background layer or layers (if you added the black separately) and merge all the others together.

15

To give the type an enhanced liquid quality, go to Filter>Liquify. Use the Bloat tool to expand or otherwise warp areas of the text as seen here. Once you are happy with the distortions, click OK.

16

You can now throw the text into any image you so choose. In the following example, I’ve blurred a tech-style background, placed the type in that document, then placed a duplicate of the blurred layer above the text. The Blend mode of the top layer is changed to Soft Light to serve as reflections off the type, or making the type appear transparent allowing you to see the background through it. I’ll let you decide what is actually happening.

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